


Have You Read This?

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: "Book Club", Book Club, Crack, F/F, F/M, Humor, Jace is not happy, M/M, book nerd Alec Lightwood, everyone else is amused at Jace's confusion and unhappiness, everyone is gay and nothing hurts, except for Izzy's suggestion, go read them all, jace is confused, lots of good books mentioned here, she did that to mess with her brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 16:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13999824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: What started as a simple book recommendation from his boyfriend quickly spiraled into a book club that grew to include anyone who meant anything to Alec.With one exception.And Jace really doesn't appreciate everyone rubbing their sex lives in his face, thank you very much.





	Have You Read This?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta [supersonicsidekick](http://supersonicsidekick.tumblr.com/) and a special thanks to [wonderdaysoflunacy](http://wonderdaysoflunacy.tumblr.com/) for the beautiful cover art.
> 
> Before you ask, yes, this has already been posted once. Sometime on Thursday, this fic was deleted for some reason I'm trying to get to the bottom of. As AO3 support has not gotten back to me about getting it restored, I am posting it again because supersonicsidekick, wonderdaysoflunacy, and I all worked hard on our part of this and I want it to be shared. I realize my kudos and comments are probably gone forever but if you wanted to leave them again, that would be wonderful. If not, I understand, too. I hope this never happens again because I have been through a wide range of emotions and am just exhausted (to the point that I briefly considered giving up fanfic entirely, but I quickly decided against that). 
> 
> Thanks for reading again (if you read it before) and please enjoy!

 

The crowded bar bustled with activity typical for a  Saturday night. Seelies, vampires, warlocks, and werewolves drank, laughed, and had a good time. All beings able to, for once, completely relax without fear.  The Hunter’s Moon had always been a safe place for them and after everything with Valentine, it felt even more of a sanctuary than it did before. From spirited games of pool and darts to the group arguing over the music at the jukebox, the place bustled with life, particularly now that it felt safe for the Downworld to be out once more.  

In one darkened corner of the bar, a lone Shadowhunter sat, ignored by the patrons save for an occasional dark glance in his direction.  He’d chosen this seat consciously, knowing most people wouldn’t want him there at the bar, so he stayed as out of the way as possible. He wasn’t the life of the party like his siblings, and he carried the mantle of nephilim leadership wherever he went.  However, he was mostly unaware of the glares being thrown at him, content to stay in his isolated corner and let everyone else enjoy their fun.

Alec continued to read the book he’d brought with him, waiting for Magnus to finish with his client so they could go on with the date they’d planned.  They’d planned a breakfast date in Sydney that night, but instead were sitting on opposite sides of a bar in Manhattan. Because, of course, the tensions between the djinn and a particular Seelie had to reach a boiling point just as they were leaving; so Magnus was called into the Hunter’s Moon to mediate a truce.  Some Downworlders were still uneasy with Magnus due to some of the choices he’d made during the war, but when forced to pick between siding with Magnus or siding with Alec, they would choose the High Warlock every time. So Alec stuck a book in his jacket pocket and followed his boyfriend to the bar, where he settled in with his own entertainment until his boyfriend was ready.

Maia grinned down at him, refilling the water he’d been sipping on since arriving.  She dropped a basket of fries in front of him and Alec’s stomach rumbled at the sight, a reminder that they still hadn’t eaten.  He grabbed one immediately, sighing at the first food he’d had since breakfast. (Lunch somehow passed by without him noticing and Alec hoped Magnus wouldn’t find out.  He hated the disappointed look on Magnus’s face when he found out Alec wasn’t taking care of himself properly.) Maia craned her neck to look at the cover of the book Alec was holding.  “Old Man and the Sea? Never took you for a Hemingway fan.”

Alec shrugged, looking up at her with a small smile, “Never read it before.  But Magnus keeps talking about all these people he’s known from the past. He mentioned being drinking buddies with Hemingway back in Key West and when I saw the book, I figured I may as well see what was so great about him.”  The name sounded familiar when Magnus first spoke of him, but Alec hadn’t realized he was famous until he found the book on Magnus’s shelf, tucked between tomes on werewolf physiology and various potion recipes. “I’m halfway through and I still don’t see why Magnus called him the finest writer of his generation.”   The story was alright, he thought, but it wasn’t something he would have read if it wasn’t for Magnus’s praise. Though, now that Alec thought about it, he wondered if the praise had less to do with Hemingway’s writing and more because he had been the only person who could out drink Magnus and still be standing at the end.

“You’ve never read Hemingway before?  How did you get through school?” Maia took a seat in front of him, obviously not interested in going back to the bar right away.  

Alec raised a brow, “I didn’t go to school.  I went to a few different Institutes, but I grew up learning different weapons and runes, how to defeat various types of demons and how to negotiate with the Downworld.  Classic literature was viewed as insignificant. I read Shakespeare, Dante, and Chaucer on my own because I could actually find copies of those in the library at the Institute.  But mostly, reading is something for forms and reports, not pleasure.” Not for the first time, Alec wondered what life would have been like if he’d grown up as a mundane. Clary understood the mundane world better than Alec could ever hope to, and while he wouldn’t trade the life he had now for anything, sometimes jealousy over everything she was able to experience that he hadn’t would eat at him.  Maybe as a mundane, Alec would have been a writer. He thinks that maybe he would have enjoyed telling stories to others.

Maia whistled low, barely heard over the din of the crowded bar.  “You Shadowhunters live sad lives, you know that? I mean, sure, I turn into a wolf every month, or when I get particularly angry, but the rest of the time I get to do whatever I want, like a normal person.  You’ve never been anything but a soldier, have you?”

No, he hadn’t.  And until Magnus came into his life, Alec assumed that was all he would ever be. Fight hard, die young, try to have a few kids before that happened.  The Shadowhunter way. “Yes, well, we don’t really expect to live long enough to waste time on things that aren’t part of our angelic mission.” Two years ago, Alec would have said those words with pride.  Now they tasted sour in his mouth.

“Don’t let Magnus hear you say that,” Maia sighed, looking around as if Magnus would suddenly appear the moment his boyfriend started talking about his eventual death.  “He’ll never forgive you if you die young.” Alec knew this and had been taking more precautions in the field to be sure he could return home to his boyfriend every night.  Waving her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention when it drifted off, Maia laughed, “So, back to Hemingway. What do you think of him? I always found him a bit misogynistic for my liking, but I can appreciate well-written novels, even if I don’t agree with their message.”

“I’m not even sure I would call them well written.  The story is engaging, but I don’t think I’m going to be branching out and reading anything else Hemingway wrote.”

Magnus found them an hour later, the book between them as they debated different passages.  Maia’s fellow bartender looked overwhelmed and pissed off, neither of them realizing just how long they’d been sitting there.  “Maia, my dear, would you mind terribly if I stole Alexander for the night? You are more than welcome to continue your book club some other time, though.”  Alec choked on his water at that term, a reminder of Jace’s joke to Clary. He coughed, trying to regain some dignity and turned to look at his boyfriend who was obviously perplexed by his reaction but continued on.  “It’s nice to see Alec making some friends.” The teasing lilt in his voice had Alec rolling his eyes.

“I’m not that bad.  I have friends.” And a lot more of them in the last few months, as his small social circle widened to include numerous people from all of the races in the Shadow World.  Alec turned back to Maia, “But if you want to keep talking about the book, Maia, I’ll let you know when I finish.” Alec stood and slipped the book back into his coat pocket.  

Grinning, Maia waved goodbye to them and returned to the bar where the other tender slammed a glass down and appeared to be laying into her for her prolonged absence.  Alec smiled at her over his shoulder before he and Magnus stepped out into the cold night air. “How was the client?”

“Tedious as always.  I don’t know why anyone considers starting an argument with a djinn.  Hot-headed, the lot of them,” Magnus hummed, lacing their fingers together.  “But, more importantly, are you going to explain that reaction back there? I feel like there is an interesting story about a book club that I need to know about.”

The rest of the walk home was spent with Alec regaling Magnus with the story of Jace and  _book club._  Magnus laughing until tears rolled down his face, the naughty implication of an otherwise benign meeting amusing him to no end.  “This might be even more fun than that fear of ducks you told me about. We can definitely use this to annoy your parabatai,” Magnus said between laughs and Alec wondered just what he had in mind.  

By the time Alec finished the book, he’d managed to put Magnus’ words behind him.  They joked around a lot, particularly when it involved Jace, so it didn’t strike him as anything unusual.  He didn’t even think anything of it when Magnus texted to let him know he’d run into Maia during the day and she was going to come over for dinner that night, with her own copy of the  _Old Man and the Sea_.  All Alec knew was that he wanted to be there, so he finished up his paperwork and was on his way out the door far earlier than normal when Jace caught him.  

“Where are you off to in a hurry?  I thought we had patrol tonight.”

Alec shook his head, “You, Izzy, and Clary have patrol tonight.  I have book club.” He ran out the door, leaving Jace sputtering and glaring at his back.  Only then did he remember Magnus’ words about teasing Jace, making him laugh all the way back to the loft.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

 

Now that he was Head of Institute, Alec found he actually had more time for reading, considering he went out on significantly fewer missions than before.  Which is how, a few weeks after the first meeting of what Magnus and Maia had taken to calling the Shadow World Book Club, he ended up being surprised by his sister.

“Are you really reading Frankenstein?” Izzy asked as she came and sat in Alec’s office unannounced.  Alec always had a book on him these days, something Izzy didn’t fail to notice. At first, she thought it was all a joke he was playing on Jace, but she often caught him with a book when his parabatai was nowhere in sight.

When Jace came back to the training room ranting about brothers and oversharing a few weeks before, it only took Izzy a few minutes to find out that Alec made some comment about book club to Jace.  She still remembered Jace whining “ _Why would he share something like that?_ ” trying to pour his heart out to his sister, who merely laughed at him and patted his shoulder.  

Of course, book club wouldn’t be considered oversharing except in this one small group of Shadowhunters.  Jace brought that one on himself and Izzy could hardly pass up the opportunity to tease Jace mercilessly. She remembered asking, “Do you think he actually meant a book club?” doing her best not to laugh in the face of her brother’s frustration.

Jace raised a brow, looking at Izzy as if she’d lost her mind.  “Why would he actually mean book club? He was on his way to Magnus’s loft.  What do you think they do there? Can you picture the two of them sitting around talking about classic literature?  You’ve seen the way they look at each other in public. And when I lived with Magnus? Well, I don’t have to imagine what they get up to when it is only the two of them.”  He’d shuddered and Izzy took pity on him and let it drop for the time being.

But while Alec had really come out of his shell since he started dating Magnus, him joking about his sex life in the middle of the Institute still seemed a little far-fetched for their formerly-repressed brother.  Magnus had been good for Alec, far more than any of them originally imagined, but sex jokes? No, Alec meant it literally and probably only saw the humor of the situation after the words were out of his mouth. The fact that Jace couldn’t see that only went to show how embarrassed he was over the whole situation.

So, spotting him reading in his office instead of doing paperwork, it was time for her to figure out what was going on.  With Jace out on a mission, it was the perfect time to get the truth out of him without letting Jace in on it. After all, what kind of sister would Izzy be if she didn’t get to hold this over her brother’s head?  Sitting heavily in the chair in front of his desk, Izzy propped her feet up on the table and grinned at him. “Did you know Frankenstein is considered the first science fiction novel of all time? And it was written by a woman?”

Alec looked up at her and raised a brow, “Well, I assumed the name Mary Shelley didn’t belong to a man.”  Though he could have been wrong, he supposed, but rather doubted it in this case. “Maia and Magnus both agreed that this was one of those classics everyone needed to read.  Something about monstrosity and how sometimes the ones that look the best on the outside are truly the monsters after all.” Alec would have read it either way—the way it spoke to him as a Shadowhunter, a race taught they were above all others when really they were the worst of them all, there wasn’t a chance Alec would have said no.

Izzy stared at her brother for a moment, surprise evident on her features, before giggling and shaking her head.  “You really are having a book club, aren’t you? You didn’t just say that to mess with Jace.” If someone had told her a year ago that her brother would be reading mundane fiction and having a book club with a warlock and a werewolf, Izzy would have been concerned for their sanity.  However, with the evidence in front of her, it did actually seem very Alec-like. Because to him, they weren’t just a warlock and a werewolf. They were Alec’s lover and his friend; and if all three of them shared a love of books, why shouldn’t they talk about it when they all had some well-deserved free time?

“Not sure it’s really a club.  Maia saw a book I was reading at Hunter’s Moon a few weeks back and it turned out to be one she liked so we started talking about it.  After I finished reading it, she came over to the loft for dinner and drinks and the three of us debated the book for hours.” One of the most enjoyable evenings Alec experienced in some time.  At least ones that didn’t involve him and Magnus alone. Those were a different kind of enjoyable. “At the end, she grabbed a book off Magnus’s shelf, shoved it into my hands and told me to read it next.  So I am.” He held up the worn copy of Frankenstein in his hand. “I’m not sure I like it as much as I liked the other one.”

“You can’t compare Hemingway and Shelley, Alec.  Take them both as masterpieces but realize that they are very different.  The authors alone are coming from very different worlds so why would their writing have any similarity to the others?  Keep an open mind about Shelley, though. She was a genius and very young when she wrote that.”

Alec smiled, looking at the book and nodding.  “That’s what Magnus said. When did you learn so much about literature?”  Isabelle had always been the intellectual one of the two of them. As kids, if they weren’t training, Izzy was studying something. Usually science stuff that made Alec’s stomach turn.  He couldn’t remember seeing her reading novels but after some time, he’d stopped looking over her shoulder entirely, never knowing what he would see if he did. One too many glimpses of dissections and autopsies turned him off from that particular habit quickly.

Returning his smile, Izzy pressed a kiss to Alec’s forehead, “There’s more to mundanes then drinking, dancing, and being unaware of demons, big brother.  Just because you weren’t interested in knowing anything about them doesn’t mean the same was true for me. I wanted to know the way they thought, how they looked at the world.  You can learn so much about them from what they write and what they read. Even the books, based more in our world than theirs, gives us glimpses of what it must be like in their shoes.”  

“Plus, Clary likes these books?” Alec guessed.  While Izzy no doubt believed everything she said and read far more than Jace or he ever did, Alec thought her new mundane-raised girlfriend might have something to do with her excitement over literature these days.

“Plus Clary likes the books,” Izzy laughed.  “Now, read your book and don’t forget to call me the next time you are discussing it.  I want to be there!” She flounced from the room in a way only Isabelle could make look that good, ponytail swinging behind her with every step, and Alec rolled his eyes fondly before turning back to the novel in hand.  If Izzy was going to be there next time, then he needed to see why she loved it so. Her opinion mattered more than almost anyone else’s to him, so if she loved it, there must be a reason.

Two weeks later, Izzy was returning from Magnus and Alec’s, a pleased smile on her face as she made her way back to her room.  The wine they’d shared made her pleasantly warm and content, as had the joy of seeing her brother so relaxed and happy. Magnus had been good for Alec.  She’d known that would be the case before they even got together, but to see him so comfortable in his own skin was a reward Izzy would never get tired of.  

In the control room, she ran into Jace who narrowed his eyes at the happy-relaxed expression she wore.  “Where have you been? I didn’t think you had a mission tonight. And there are only two things that make you look that happy.”  That might have been true before, Izzy mused to herself. Demon hunting and sex were two of her favorite occupations. But now, seeing Alec enjoying his life could be added to the list.

“Okay,  _mom_ ,” Izzy laughed, an evil glint in her eye.  “If you must know, I was at book club and had a wonderful time.”

“By the angel, Iz.  Not you, too.” Jace groaned and turned on his heel.  He disappeared into the training room, Isabelle’s laughter following him down the hall.

* * *

 

“Izzy told me you are having a book club without me!” Clary complained to Alec in the middle of their training session.  Alec was helping her back to her feet when she voiced her unhappiness. “You and Magnus and Iz and Maia? I can’t believe you didn’t invite me!  What do any of you know about being mundane? Well, Maia, maybe. But I could bring in the mundane perspective that you all wouldn’t have considered.”

Alec sighed, wishing his sister didn’t have such a big mouth.  Yet he knew that she probably couldn’t keep anything from her girlfriend the same way Alec would never keep anything from Magnus.  “It isn’t anything official. Maia saw me reading a book and wanted to talk about it. Then she recommended another one that Izzy wanted to talk about, too.  Now we are reading something called Twilight. It was Izzy’s suggestion, saying I needed to learn about the way mundanes viewed vampires. She swore up and down that we would love it, but I have a feeling she’s trying to make everyone annoyed.”  Even the cover of the book had annoyed Alec. What did apples have to do with vampires? It made no sense. Besides, Magnus and Maia’s reactions when Izzy suggested it warned him that this book would be upsetting.

The moment the title left his mouth, Clary was doubled over laughing.  “Are you really? Twilight? Alec! Oh my god, Alec! I love her but Izzy is playing with fire here.  I can’t believe Magnus agreed to this!” Her laugh echoed down the hall, causing several Shadowhunters to peek into the room to see if everything was okay.  Alec waved them off as horror started to wash over him. If this book was bad enough to cause  _that_ reaction, what in Lilith’s name was he getting himself into?  His blood ran cold as he thought of the book sitting in his bedroom back at the loft.  No wonder Magnus insisted that he didn’t need to read it again.

“Stop laughing and tell me why this is so funny, Fray,” Alec demanded, pulling himself up to his full height and glaring at her for all he was worth.  He missed the days when he could actually intimidate her, though sometimes he wondered if those days ever existed at all. Unfortunately, that just made Clary laugh harder until tears streamed down her face and Alec worried that perhaps he’d broken her entirely.  

Eventually, she got herself under control and wiped her eyes.  Alec couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone laugh so much, and the fact that it was directed at him because of the book his sister chose to force upon him made Alec’s blood run cold.  Patting him on his chest before walking away, Clary was still chuckling. “I will not ruin the experience for you, Lightwood.”

“No, please, ruin it.  I need to know what I am getting into.”  If he was pleading, so be it. Alec hated that he knew so little about mundane culture, particularly since right now, he felt certain it was coming back to bite him in the ass.  

Clary simply shook her head.  “Nope, you need to read it. It won’t be the same if you don’t.  But I have two requests. First, don’t kill Izzy when you are done with this. I rather love her just the way she is and I’m a little fearful for her safety, no matter how much you might love her too.  And second, I want to come when you guys discuss this. The thought of you and Magnus sitting around discussing Twilight will keep me amused for weeks on end.” She sauntered out of the room with the air of superiority only a person who knew a deep secret could master.  

With a heavy sigh, Alec put his things away and headed for his room, determined to find out why Clary found it hilarious that this was the book he was reading.

Each page turned out to be more horrific than the last.  

How?  What? Why?

“WHAT THE HELL, IZZY!” Alec growled when she walked into the loft with Clary a few nights later.  Magnus and Maia were already there, watching the eldest Lightwood silently fume on the couch while glaring at the offensive book.  Magnus sat next to him, rubbing comforting circles against his back while trying to keep a straight face. Disgust practically came off Alec in waves, and if looks could kill, the book would have gone up in flames from the moment he set it on the table in front of him.

Everyone laughed at his anger and took their seats. He knew then that he was the only one who had read the book for that night, everyone else having months or years to dim the horror they must have felt upon reading it.  No, tonight was all about tormenting him with the knowledge that literature like this existed and some people actually loved it completely. “I can’t believe you made me read that! I will never get that book out of my mind now.”  He dropped his head to his hands, still grumbling about idiotic mundanes and sparkling vampires and how the whole thing was more ridiculous than Simon’s babblings at his wedding. “Why do the vampires sparkle? Can someone answer that for me?  Because it makes no sense. None of this makes any sense. Why would someone write this?”

“I worry about telling you this, darling,” Magnus said, from his seat next to Alec and almost managing to keep the humor out of his voice,  “But there are three more books in the series. Well, technically four, but I don’t think anyone really counts the novella for anything.”

Alec ignored the chuckles from everyone else in the room, rounding on his lover with an expression akin to pure horror.  “Three?!? How is that possible? How could someone write that many words about a woman who seems to have no thoughts in her head, despite the fact that we as the readers are actually IN HER HEAD.”  He stood, pacing angrily around the room while he tried to comprehend the fact that this was a real thing and not just some horrid joke they were all playing on him. “How...How can that story go on at all?”

Alec didn’t miss the way everyone exchanged glances, eventually agreeing that he wouldn’t be reading the books so spoiling them wouldn’t be a terrible thing.  Through some silent argument, it fell to Maia to explain just where the story went next. “Her werewolf best friend falls in love with her, the vampire and boring girl get married, have crazy, bed-breaking sex and then she gives birth to a baby who the vampire literally has to bite out of her belly, killing her in the process and making her a vampire too.”  The rest of the group nodded along to Maia’s summary so Alec knew it was probably the truth.

The blood drained out of his face and he shook his head despondently as he sat back down with a thud.  “And people like these books? I mean, they get to live together forever, I suppose, which I can definitely understand wanting.”  He didn’t miss the way Magnus’ hand tightened on his knee and he wondered why that horrible character got to have what he wanted but pushed it aside for now.  “But seriously, biting the baby out of her stomach?”

Clary, looking like she was having the time of her life, nodded.  “And Maia left out the best part. The werewolf best friend falls in love with the baby.  Like  _I am going to marry you and have sex with you as soon as you are old enough,_ love.  With a BABY.  It’s...disturbing.”

“Magnus?” Alec asked, looking more terrified than when he faced down a demon dragon on the beach months ago.  “Will you please burn that book and then feed all my memories of this conversation to Clary’s memory demon? Please?”

Magnus laughed, “I will happily burn the book, Alexander.  I certainly don’t want it here in our home any more than you do.  But if we have to live with that knowledge, then you do too. It becomes easier with time.  I promise.” With a snap, the book vanished in a puff of smoke just as Clary’s phone rang.

“Jace?  What do you want?”  Clary rolled her eyes as Jace talked, though no one could hear what he was saying.  “Uh-huh. Okay, Jace, I’m with Izzy. Can I call you back? We’re a little busy right now.”  An evil grin crossed her face as she answered whatever Jace said on the other line. Suddenly breathless, Clary panted into the phone, “Yeah, we’re having book club.”  

As she went to end the call, Jace’s voice rang out clear as day while everyone broke down in silent laughter.  “SERIOUSLY? THEN WHY DID YOU ANSWER MY CALL!”

* * *

 

Soon enough, Jace was fed up with all of them.  “I can’t believe you have all turned on me like this,” he grumbled the next morning when Alec joined them in the kitchen for coffee.  “Clearly Clary and Izzy weren’t the only ones enjoying book club last night.” Alec blushed and cupped a hand over his neck, covering the marks Magnus had left late the night prior.  After everyone else left for the night, with Clary having picked the next book, Magnus decided to apologize to Alec for making him read Twilight without any warning about how much he would hate it.  And apologize he did. Several times. Until they both passed out, exhausted but utterly in love.

“It was great,” Clary grinned, popping a grape into her mouth as she looked from Jace to Alec to Izzy.  “The next book we are reading is a classic of lesbian literature.” Jace growled and stormed from the room.  Only when he was out of earshot did Clary truly laugh, “The best part is that none of us are lying and none of us are really making fun of him.  Annie on my Mind  _is_ a classic of lesbian literature.  Seriously, that book helped me with my sexual awakening.”

This time it was Alec’s turn to growl, shaking his head.  “You know, I’m not sure that is something I need to know. Is this like the Victorian porn novels Magnus has stashed on his bookshelf that he thought I didn’t know about?”

“Victorian porn novels?” Isabelle asked, perking up at the very mention of said books.  “Doesn’t really seem like Magnus’s style, particularly when he has tall dark and handsome here to work out any frustrations on.  Still, might be worth asking if I could read a few. For historical knowledge, of course.”

Alec rolled his eyes at his sister.  “No, these are actually from the Victorian times. I’ve never seen him read them, but I pulled one off the shelf when I was bored last night.  We were always taught that the Victorian times were stuffy and dull but those were, well, not.” It had been eye-opening to say the least. Magnus laughed when he caught Alec, blushing and wide-eyed when he realized just what it was he was reading.  Alec shook the thought away, “Seriously, though. I love you two, but I don’t really care what it is like when you two are in bed together. Doesn’t really apply to my life, you know.”

Grabbing another grape, Clary laughed, “It’s nothing like that, Alec.  It’s literally about two girls figuring out that it is okay to like someone of the same sex.  So many girl-girl novels end in pain and death and misery, but I promise, this one has a happy, hopeful ending.  It made me relieved to know that just because I liked women, it didn’t mean I would die young, or live alone forever.”

If he was honest, Alec didn’t realize there were books like that at all.  He’d sort of assumed heterosexual relationships were all he was ever going to see in books.  So, now that Clary was telling him about the one she chose, his interest was piqued. “Are there other books like that?  Maybe even ones with guys?” He tried to keep the hope out of his voice but he certainly failed.

“Of course, big brother.  Between Clary and I, we can give you a list.  I bet Magnus knows a bunch too. It would be good for you to read them.  I know you are all happy and out and proud now, which is all I ever wanted for you, but it is still good to read about other people’s journeys.”

“What are you three talking about?” Maryse asked, stepping into the kitchen.  The three of them startled, having been so engrossed in the conversation they didn’t hear her coming, even with the telltale click of her heels.  “And is there a reason Jace is in the training room beating on three different Shadowhunters, while calling them your names.” Amusement tinted her voice as she poured her coffee and turned to look at the three of them.  

Izzy, always the first to regain her composure, laughed.  “Jace thinks we are mocking him with our sex lives, which totally isn’t the case but we haven’t exactly let him know.  It’s more fun to make him think that.”

“And how, pray tell, are you doing that?”  

Clary jumped in with her explanation of the story involving Jace and Kaelie and  _book club_.  Alec sort of wished he could slip away from this conversation but he couldn’t figure out how to escape without drawing attention to himself.  “So, we are actually having a book club but he thinks we are making fun of him.  And we haven’t lied to him once but he’s so convinced it is a joke, that we are inclined to treat it that way too.”

Maryse smirked, knowing Jace well enough to know that he would probably take it as a joke, even if they told him otherwise.  She couldn’t fault the others for finding it funny. It really  _was_ funny.  “So what are you reading right now, if you are having an actual book club?”

“Clary picked this one,” Alec smiled.  “I’d never heard of it but that isn’t a surprise.  Something called Annie on My Mind.” Considering what his sister and her girlfriend said about the book, Alec doubted his mother had heard of it either.  

“Mom, you should read it and join us.  I think it would be good for you.” Izzy looked so hopeful, Alec hoped his mother wouldn’t let her down.  Alec knew why she wanted Maryse to read it. By the time Clary and Izzy started dating, their mother had several months to get used to one of her children being in a relationship with someone of the same sex.  But that didn’t mean she was ready to accept all three of them in the same kind of relationship. When Izzy and Clary, then Jace and Simon all started dating within a week of one another, Maryse’s stress level had gone through the roof.  She’d tried to be understanding, she’d tried to be supportive, but the level of gossip she’d been subjected to back home in Idris was starting to wear her down.

It wasn’t until she moved back to New York and started dating Luke that Alec had seen her really making a lot of progress.  But it wasn’t unusual to see her staring at Clary and Izzy’s hands when they were laced together as they walked back to their shared room, or for Maryse to avert her eyes when Simon kissed Jace goodbye before heading back to the Hotel for the night.  Maybe reading a mundane book about a relationship like the ones her children were in would be good for her.

She smiled, “Could you get me a couple copies?  I bet Lucian would be interested as well if he’s invited too?”  Her hesitation saddened Alec and judging by the looks on Clary and Izzy’s faces they were feeling the same way.  If this relationship made Maryse and Luke happy, then all three of them were in complete support of it.

“Of course he is.  I’ll ask Magnus if he can get you both a copy,” Alec smiled at his mother and it was settled.  Two more people would be joining them for book club.

The night of the book club, Maryse and Luke were walking back toward the Institute, arm in arm, continuing to discuss the book.  The conversation had gone for hours but neither of them could get it out of their heads. “Did you know Clary liked girls before she started dating Isabelle?” Maryse asked Luke, a question that had never come up between the two of them, despite the fact that their two daughters were dating each other.

“We had our suspicions,” Luke admitted.  “But it was always just Clary and Simon. There was nothing romantic between them, they were like brother and sister and neither of them let anyone else get in between them.  It didn’t really surprise me when they started dating a brother and sister as well, though I probably would have pegged Jace and Clary as a couple before I got to know them all.  Now, I can’t see them as anything but siblings.”

“Do you ever worry?  I mean, she’s the end of the Fairchild line.  There won’t be children from a union with Isabelle.  The Fairchild name will end with her.” There were so many things to worry about, Maryse knew that wasn’t something that should be causing her any concern, and yet she couldn’t help but think that without Izzy or Alec having children, it could be the end of the Lightwood name.  Of course, there was still Max but she couldn’t think about her baby having babies, at least not yet.

Luke shrugged, “It happens, it will be sad because it was a great family,  but there is more to a family than a name. The love Clary has for Isabelle, that is what will live on.  And maybe they will adopt, or maybe they will have a donor. We don’t know the future, so I would rather rejoice in her being happy than worry about something that may or may not happen years from now.”

Maryse considered that, considered how the family in the book had supported their daughter, even when they didn’t necessarily understand.  Magnus explained that in the time the book was written, people like them weren’t as widely accepted as they were now in the mundane world. It would have been unthinkable for two girls to be caught like that, and there was a reason the teachers hid their own relationships.  That fear of reprimand, of disinheritance, of isolation was very real to the girls in the books.

And to her own children.  

Maryse had done that, along with Robert, the Clave, and their society.  But now she was done being a hindrance to her kids’ happiness. If being with Magnus, Clary, and Simon made them happy, then she wouldn’t stand in their way.

Lost in their conversation, Maryse almost missed the sight of a patrol heading their way.  Only years of training - and a slight tension in Luke’s arm when he noticed as well - brought her attention to the Shadowhunters approaching instead of their thoughts on the book and their kids.  “Jace,” she smiled. Now that she’d decided to be warmer and more accepting, there was no better time to start than now. “Having a good night?”

“Yep, three demons killed, no mundanes hurt, and we managed to have dinner at the Jade Wolf as well.  Where are you two coming from?” The way the kids accepted their relationship so easily made Maryse even more determined to offer the same to them.

Luke shrugged, “Date night and book club.”

Maryse had never seen Jace so pale, not after any of the battles, or even when he came to them as a young child who’d just lost his father.  “That...I didn’t need to know that. But, um, good for you,” he stuttered before turning to his patrol and motioning them away from the couple.  Both Maryse and Luke stared after him, completely baffled.

“What was that all about?  You’d think he’d seen a ghost or something.”

She frowned and ultimately shook her head, deciding it wasn’t something she wanted to get into with Luke right now.  Discussing a joke about her children’s sex lives while on her own date didn’t appeal to her. “Sometimes with Jace, it’s better to not ask.”

* * *

 

“Alec, I have two questions.”  Ever since Lydia had come back from Idris, she and Alec had been sharing an office.  While there were other offices she could use, Alec’s was large enough to accommodate them both and he liked having her around.  Lydia was a good friend and while their relationship would never have worked, for obvious reasons, it turned out that platonically, they were practically perfect in every way.  “One, what is wrong with your parabatai? He’s glaring at everyone and I saw three recruits from Alicante limp out of the training room this morning complaining about him. And two, what are you reading?”

Alec hardly looked up from the book, which was taking most of his concentration to understand.  It was a lot different than everything else they’d read, which Luke warned him about when he’d selected it but that didn’t make it any less interesting.  “Hmm?” Too lost in the description of a cross-country trip, Alec didn’t catch the question the first time.

“Who pissed off Jace and why is he taking it out on everyone in the Institute?” Lydia repeated.  Alec knew that tone. It was one Izzy and Magnus had both used on him before and his eyes snapped up to meet hers to avoid getting into further trouble.  “As head of the Institute and his parabatai, I figured you would know better than anyone else. So, what’s getting to him?”

Alec chuckled, marking his place in the book and setting it aside.  “Oh, he thinks we are all making fun of him, Mom and Luke included. If I had to guess, I think he is taking this as retribution for when he shoved his sex life in all our faces for so many years.”  He grinned, feeling quite proud of himself that he even had a sex life to be tormenting Jace with. Which got him thinking about sex, which led him to thinking about...

“Alec!  Focus! You are going to need to explain because I don’t get it.” Lydia called him back.  And so he did. He told her about Kaelie and Jace’s book club comment. He told her about the book club he’d inadvertently started and how they’d slowly been pulling in people with every book they read.  

“All I wanted to do was keep myself entertained while Magnus dealt with some High Warlock business.  I didn’t expect it to bloom into all of this. And I really didn’t mean for it to become a joke with Jace.  I keep thinking I should tell him, but everyone else is determined to see how long we can drag this out. Plus, it  _is_ really quiet when he isn’t speaking to me.”

“So, you are having an actual book club which Jace thinks is a metaphor for sex?  That would explain so much. I overheard him mumbling that even his mom was in on it, so I’m guessing Maryse goes to the book club as well.”  Alec couldn’t blame her for the disbelief in her voice. A few months ago, most likely the last time Maryse and Lydia talked, there was no way Maryse would ever have been involved in such a thing.  Now, Alec could see her trying to make an effort, not just with his relationship with Magnus, but with Izzy and Jace’s relationships as well. Things were better for all of them and Maryse actually seemed happy.

He smiled at his friend and ex-fiance.  “She is. The last book we read was about a teenager coming out to her family and falling in love with another girl.  Clary recommended it and Izzy suggested Mom read it and come with us. I think it helped. I know it isn’t easy for her to accept all three of us in the relationships we are in, but she and Luke both read it and had some interesting insights as parents of non-straight children.”  

“How does that work?” Lydia asked.  “I mean, your mom and sister are dating a father and daughter pair.  Isn’t that, I don’t know, weird?”

Alec raised his brows, “I honestly don’t think about my mom or my sister’s love lives.  If they are happy, that’s what matters. I try not to think about anyone’s love life but my own, to be honest.  Particularly after Izzy cornered us not long after we started sleeping together to demand to know who topped.” While he was pretty sure his sister did it just to make him uncomfortable, Alec skin still crawled at the memory and it was the last time he told anyone anything.  Which was why it seemed so strange that Jace would believe him to be taunting them with his sex life.

“I don’t want to know,” Lydia laughed, shuddering dramatically.  “I’m perfectly happy with my relationship and I don’t need to think about you in bed.  I’m rather happy that we never got to the stage where we had to think about it.” Alec laughed along with her because it was easier than considering that at one point in their lives, he’d almost had to sleep with her.

“You know Maia comes to book club too.  Now that you are back from Idris, you should come with us.  So far, she’s the only one who doesn’t have her partner there so I know she would love it.”  Maia and Lydia were one of those couples that Alec would never have guessed would work well and yet, they did.  And they made sense. Two of his best friends dating each other. The days when they decided to gang up against him, Alec stood no chance.

Lydia smirked, “Why do you think I was asking about the book?  Thought I could surprise her and show up.”

“She doesn’t know you are in town?  Lydia, even I know that is going to get you into trouble more often than not.  Call her before she comes over here and threatens to tear us both apart; you for not calling her and me for the same thing.”  While Alec wouldn’t say he was  _afraid_ of Maia, she could certainly intimidate him.  Particularly when she threatened parts of his anatomy that he was fond of.

Plucking the book from his desk, Lydia sat on the couch and started thumbing through it, not answering his question immediately.  Eventually, she smiled over at him. “Of course, she knows. I couldn’t very well show up in town and not see my girlfriend. You live with Magnus and start getting twitchy after a few hours apart.  Think how I feel having to be gone for days and weeks!”

Alec certainly couldn’t do it.  He hated to have to even go to work sometimes, more content to stay home with Magnus and enjoy a quiet day with just the two of them.  He knew they needed time apart, he simply didn’t like it. “You are a stronger person than I am,” he laughed.

“We knew that already, Lightwood.  Though, leaving me at the altar to kiss a male warlock, that took some strength.  Don’t know if I ever told you how much it impressed me.”

“Thanks, Lyds.  So, are you coming to book club?”

“And miss the chance to both annoy Jace and watch you attempt to discuss motorcycle maintenance?  I wouldn’t give that up for anything.” Alec watched in fond disbelief as she took his book and went back to her desk, promptly starting to read it.  He’d have to get another copy, he supposed. That one was lost to him forever.

The night of book club, Lydia stood in the hall outside Alec’s office on the phone with her girlfriend while she waited for him to be ready to go, talking about the book that had annoyed her to no end.  “I don’t know how anyone could like him,” she said of the narrator, trying to calm herself down before she turned a spirited debate that evening into something much more violent. “He’s such a pompous ass.  I suppose I see the appeal, but I couldn’t even deal with him in small bouts.” Alec exited the office and she smiled into her phone. “Yeah, Maia, I’m leaving now. See you soon. Yep, love you too.”

“Talking about me again?” Jace asked, rounding the corner with a smirk on his face.  “Pompous ass and can see his appeal? Isn’t that how most people describe me?”

Alec covered his mouth to stop from laughing too much when Lydia smirked at him.  She turned to look at Jace and shook her head, “Contrary to popular belief, not everything involves you, Jace.  I was just talking to Maia about somebody else that I don’t think you know.” If Jace had read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Alec would have been shocked.  He himself though Luke was making it up when he suggested the book, but it turned out to be a real thing, much to his surprise. “But now, if you’ll excuse us, Alec and I both have book club to get to.”  She turned on her heel and moved towards the door, winking at Alec as she did so. He loved her, he really did. Thanked the angel that they never married, but anyone who could put that dumbfounded look on Jace’s face was someone he wanted in his life for the rest of time.  

“Seriously, Alec?  Is there anyone you haven’t told about that?  You are the worst parabatai.”

“I’m the best parabatai and you know it.  But no, I’m pretty sure everyone knows it at this point. May as well just get used to it.”  Because Alec couldn’t think of anyone else who would want to join their book club. Who else was there that would willingly spend time with five Shadowhunters, two werewolves and a warlock discussing books?

* * *

 

“The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of Ragnor’s favorite books.  He made me read it about fifty years ago and talked incessantly about it for a decade.  I’m not sure why he loves it so much but it seems your former fiancee must share at least some of his love for it.  I suppose it’s worth giving the book another chance.” The rest of the group had left an hour prior and Alec stayed behind to help Magnus clean up and have some quiet time with the love of his life.  While he adored the book club as it gave him an opportunity to spend time with his friends away from work and an excuse to read books he’d never seen before, Alec missed having time with his lover alone.

This book was one Alec had actually heard of before the club started but never had the opportunity to read.  It wasn’t even one Magnus had on his shelf, so they would need to go get a couple copies the next day, which Alec looked forward to.  While Magnus could easily just magic them the books they needed, going to a bookstore with his boyfriend sounded fun. Never before had shopping appealed to him, but since it was for books instead of clothes, Alec felt certain it would be a lot more interesting.  “You should invite him. I know you don’t get to see him as much as you would like and it would be a chance for him to talk about the book in a situation where people actually want to hear his opinion.” Alec blushed and shook his head, “Wait, that came out wrong.  I would want to hear his opinion anyway but you described it as incessant and...”

Magnus placed a finger over Alec’s lips, grinning fondly at him.  “I understood and I will never repeat it to Ragnor so don’t worry one bit.”  His hand dropped back to his side and Magnus nodded, “It will give him a good excuse to come see Raphael, too.  They talk all the time but I don’t think they see each other nearly as much as they would like.”

“So, they really are dating?  You weren’t just making it up?”  

“Of course they are.  Why would I make something like that up?” Magnus asked with grin.  

Alec didn’t know why Magnus would make it up, but he also didn’t understand why his boyfriend lied about his age all the time.  “I don’t know. They’re both so dour. They each look like they took a bite out of a lemon whenever I see them. I like them both but I don’t know why they are always so, well, grumpy.”

Magnus laughed, “You are asking me why they are so grumpy, when you yourself have the grumpiest face sometimes, usually when dealing with Salmon or Biscuit.  But, trust me, it wouldn’t have been my first choice. They bonded over their hatred of my clothes, my use of magic for every little thing I do, and so much more.  It is tiresome.” Though, even as he complained, Alec could see the fondness in his lover’s eyes. He knew how much both men meant to Magnus, even if their relationship was one where Magnus would never actually say it.  At least not without a very good reason. “I’ll see if they want to come. Ragnor would love the opportunity to talk about that book and Raphael loves any opportunity where he can tell people that they are wrong. This is perfect for them.”

As it turned out, the book club was on the night of a Downworld Cabinet meeting.  Neither Magnus nor Alec thought to mention the joke about book club to Raphael because he rarely spoke with Jace, soon there was little chance that he would even talk to Jace, let alone told him about their plans for the night.

Which, of course, meant that Jace ended up chatting with Raphael while Simon babbled at Luke, and Magnus and Alec were stuck trying to talk some sense into Meliorn who’d only gotten more stubborn as these meeting continued.

“How are things in duMort?” Jace asked, his awkward attempt at conversation.  Dating one of the least liked members of the clan, his interactions with Raphael were often stuttered and uncomfortable for them both, even if they were both too proud to admit it.  

Raphael sighed, resigned to this conversation happening whether he liked it or not when he saw Ragnor portal in, nodding to Raphael across the room.  “If you will excuse me, I have a previous engagement.”

As he started to leave, Jace - never one to stop himself asked - “Why, hot date?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Raphael shrugged.  “We have book club this evening.”

Jace choked, coughing helplessly while Raphael turned to face him, raising a brow.  “You? I thought you didn’t, you know, like that kind of thing?” he asked after he recovered from his coughing fit.

“Why wouldn’t I like it?”

Completely perplexed the vampire stared at Jace until Jace shook his head and shrugged.  “I just thought... You know what? Never mind. Go enjoy book club. I need to go kill my brother and his boyfriend.”  Why Alec and Magnus would tell  _Raphael_ of all people about his joke, he would never know but he intended to give them some choice words about spreading rumors about him around the Shadow World.  He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

* * *

 

Two weeks later and Jace thought Alec must have told the entire world about this joke since every single one of them seemed to be in on it.  He would have understood if it was just Alec and Clary. They’d been there. Izzy and Magnus would have found out immediately too, through their significant others, so he didn’t think too much about that.  But Lydia? Raphael and Ragnor? MARYSE? Jace couldn’t believe that they would all be playing this kind of joke on him. What had he ever done to deserve that kind of treatment?

He shook his head the moment that question popped into his mind.  No way he wanted to know the answer to that one. But it still begged the question, why was Alec doing this to him?  For some reason, he just knew his parabatai was behind it. Maybe it was the amusement in his laughter the first time he made the joke to Jace.  Maybe it was the enjoyment he got through the bond every time he got annoyed when someone else made the joke to him. The entire Shadow World had conspired against him and his parabatai was leading the charge.

In his room at the Institute, Jace threw his jacket on the bed and went to take a shower.  Two could play at this game. Once he was cleaned up, he would call Simon, the two of them would go out, and he would send Alec lots of texts about his own book club.  Because while Alec might be significantly more confident about his own love life these days, there was no way he would be able to handle the onslaught of graphic messages Jace intended to send him.

With Simon’s permission of course.

As he came back into the room, towel loosely draped around his waist, he noticed something was off immediately.  Jace grabbed the blade he kept by his bed, spinning around to point it at the intruder. Even though he was safe within the Institute, there had been too many close calls in the last year and Jace kept ever on alert.  

However, instead of a Circle member, a forsaken, or an angry werewolf, he was staring into the wide, terrified eyes of his boyfriend.  “If this is how you show you are happy to see me, I think we might need to break up. My heart can’t take this kind of fear too often,” Simon quipped, stepping back and away from the sword, even as Jace dropped it down to his side.  

“Si, what are you doing here?  Not that I’m not happy to see you.”  He kissed Simon quickly and moved to get dressed.  While he fully intended to have a  _book club_ of his own, later, there hadn’t been much time lately to see Simon at all and a date would do them both some good.  

Simon grinned at him and Jace only just noticed the book in his hands.  “What? Can’t I simply want to spend time with my boyfriend? I have to have reason to be here in a building full of people who want to kill me, led by your brother who would probably be first in line?”

“What’d you do, Simon?” The nervous babbling only meant one thing.  He’d upset Alec somehow and was now hiding in the one place he thought it would be safe.  

“So, Raphael sent me over here to talk to Alec about the new blood bank opening on the Upper East Side, because Ragnor is in town and when Ragnor is in town he can’t be bothered to do anything but spend time with him and annoy Magnus.  Apparently, it’s their thing. Anyway, I came over and Izzy said he was in his office so I just went right in there. But apparently he was having a meeting, if you want to call it that, with the High Warlock. And let me say, that while Magnus is a very attractive man and your brother would be too if he stopped looking at me like he was plotting fifty different ways to end my afterlife, there are some things I just don’t want to see.”

“You walked in on Alec and Magnus in his office?”  Jace had long ago learned to weed through all the superfluous nonsense his boyfriend spewed when he was nervous to find the point mixed in all the extra words.  “And you chose to hide inside the Institute? In my room, which would be the first place he would look?”

Simon paled, impressive considering his already vampiric coloring.  “Right. I’m going to go hide. I’ll see you later.”

“But I thought we could go out tonight?”

“I can’t.”  Simon held up the book and Jace recognized it as a well-read copy of Lord of the Rings.  “I need to finish this so I can go to book club tonight.”

Jace’s heart stopped for a moment and he stared at Simon, trying to figure out why his boyfriend would admit to something like that, right in front of him.  Because unless Jace was going to be there too, he didn’t want his boyfriend anywhere near  _book club_.  

Time stood still for a moment and it was only Simon waving his hand in front of Jace’s eyes that brought the Shadowhunter back to the present.  “Where’d you go there, Jace? Totally zoned out on me.”

“Who’s going to be at this  _book club_?” he sneered, taking a step back to glare at his boyfriend, though Simon might not even be that anymore.  Of course, this was Simon he was talking about. Simon who didn’t have an evil bone in his body. Simon who would sacrifice himself for the people he loved.  Simon, who was loyal to a fault. How could Simon be cheating on him and then rubbing it in his face?

Struck by the cold tone of Jace’s words, Simon took a step back as well, and Jace felt the distance between them like a physical weight on his shoulders.  “Well, Ragnor and Raphael invited me, so I’m assuming they will be there. And it’s at Magnus and Alec’s loft, so they’ll probably be there too. I don’t know about who else but it sounds like it is quite the crowd.  Raphael said every race in the Shadow World is represented except for Seelies because nobody really likes them right now.”

Jace blinked, processing this knowledge.  Looking back over the past few weeks, he considered who had mentioned book club to him.  “Can I go with you?” he asked tentatively. If Simon really was cheating, then he surely wouldn’t want Jace there with him.

“Of course.  But, you’re supposed to have read the book.”  Simon handed the copy he was holding to Jace. “I’ve read it before but it’s long and you only have a few hours.”

Jace pushed the book back to Simon, “I’ve read it before.  I think I can hold my own in a conversation about it.”

At that moment, Jace understood the phrase ‘heart eyes’ actually described something real. Simon looked at him like he hung the stars and the moon, and it was the only notice Jace got before he was tackled to the bed.  It looked like they would be holding their own book club that day after all.

That evening, hand in hand with Simon, Jace walked into Magnus and Alec’s loft and saw everyone he loved in the world in one place.  Magnus and Alec, Clary and Izzy were all squished together on one couch. Maia and Lydia were there, sitting next to Maryse and Luke, while Raphael and Ragnor sat opposite, lost in their own conversation.  “So, when you all said book club, you really meant book club?” he asked, taking his own seat and pulling Simon down next to him.

Alec laughed, “The fact that you thought  _I_ was joking with you about my sex life is the best part of all this.  If you’d just thought about that, a lot of this would have made a lot more sense and you wouldn’t have spent the last two months beating the crap out of our trainees.”

“Magnus has been good for you,” Jace shrugged.  “I figured this was just another way he’d brought you out of your shell.”  Magnus and Alec shared a smile and a quick kiss and Jace was struck once more by how happy his parabatai was.  The warmth he felt in that bond was probably only equalled to that which he sent back to Alec every time he got to be with Simon.  “So, Raphael, I think I owe you an apology. When you asked why you wouldn’t be interested in book club, I thought you were, um, talking about something else.  So, sorry about that.” Raphael shared a glance at Magnus who laughed and shook his head. Jace knew he’d get the full story later and would have to endure the ridicule of the leader of the vampire clan for years to come.  

They easily slipped into conversation about the book, staying until the early hours of the morning.  Jace marveled at the family that had built around him. For a boy growing up with only his father - who turned out to be a genocidal maniac bent on killing half the people in this room - Jace couldn’t believe how wonderful his life turned out.  

When the conversation came to an end, and several people were starting to drift to sleep, Magnus declared that they could all stay there that night unless they had to get home, in which case he would portal them where they needed to be.  Everyone started to stand when Jace grinned and asked, “Can I pick the next book?”

This was going to be fun.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what book do you think Jace picked? I have my ideas but I want to hear what everyone else thinks.
> 
> And sorry for the mix-up. I wish this hadn't happened but maybe it means you get to read it again? : _hopeful author voice:_


End file.
